History Main / NonSpecificallyForeign

* Ishboo was a recurring foreign exchange student on ''AllThat'' with an abundance of bizarre cultural traditions that he'd insist others join in. Whenever someone asked where he was from, he'd brush off the question. It was sometimes implied that he wasn't a foreigner, and was just messing with everyone.

* Nazo in ''BigDaddy''. All we ever learn about him is that he's illegal, semi-literate, and is fond of "lamb and tuna fish" [[ForeignQueasine (yes, together)]]. He's played by the half-Jewish, half-Filipino Rob Schneider.

* Dr. Nick Riviera in ''TheSimpsons''. He also has a case of WhatTheHellIsThatAccent.
** "Riviera" is actually the name of the Mediterranean region of France, and sounds like a mashup of two actual Latin names: ''Rivera'' (Spanish) and ''Vieira'' (Portuguese).
** Word of God [[hottip:*:(The audio commentary for "Homer's Triple Bypass")]] states that his design is based on [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G%C3%A1bor_Csup%C3%B3 Gabor Csupo]] while his accent is a bad imitation of [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desi_Arnaz Desi Arnaz]]

* Andy Kaufman's "Foreign Man" was like this originally. Then he became a regular on ''{{Taxi}}'' and got a name and backstory. The name of his home country, however, remained a mystery.
** As I recall, he was from "Caspiar," an island in the Caspian Sea. [[RuleOfFunny It sunk.]]
* Fez from ''[[That70sShow That 70's Show]]'' is from some ambiguous foreign country (probably from [[SouthOfTheBorder somewhere in South or Central America]]). His real name [[OnlyKnownByTheirNickname isn't even available]] as a clue to his origins.
** In case you're wondering, his nickname is actually a (quasi-)acronym, short for "Foreign Exchange Student." But since it's not written in capital letters, many viewers probably assumed he was Turkish.

* In ''GameOfThrones'', Tyrion asks what kind of accent Shae has, and she simply replies, "Foreign." Cersei suspects she's from the Free City of Lorath, but she doesn't directly confirm or deny this.

** "Riviera" is actually the name of the Mediterranean region of France, and sounds like a mashup of two actual Latin names: ''Rivera'' (Spanish) and ''Vieira'' (Portuguese).

* Dr Nick Riviera in ''TheSimpsons''.

* Rolf in ''WesternAnimation/EdEddNEddy''

* In ''GameOfThrones'', Tyrion asks what kind of accent Shae has, and she simply replies, "Foreign."

* ''TheWarriorsWay'': Yang's country of origin is never clear and seems to be a general mish-mash of Asian cultures.

* Dr Nick Riviera in ''TheSimpsons''.

* Andy Kaufman's "Foreign Man" was like this originally. Then he became a regular on ''{{Taxi}}'' and got a name and backstory. What country he came from, however, remained a mystery.

* AndyKaufman's "Foreign Man" was like this originally. Then he became a regular on ''{{Taxi}}'' and got a backstory/homeland/name.

* Ax in ''{{Animorphs}}'' comes off as this in-universe in his human morph. As it contains DNA from four different people (two of them white, one Latino and one African-American), and he introduced himself as being from various countries, culminating in Canada ("I am from Canada. I am Canadese.")

* [[SplitPersonality Kaere/Kaede]] Kimura from ''{{Sayonara Zetsubuou Sensei}}'' went on an exchange program overseas and then back to Japan. To which country is anyone's guess, at first it seemed it was to America, until she started talking about some... [[CultureClash unusual customs]] in whichever country it was.

* Rolf in ''EdEddAndEddy''
* Janosz Poha in ''Ghostbusters II'' spoke with a non-specific (Eastern European?) foreign accent but claimed to be from the upper west side of Manhattan. Several characters remarked on the absurdity of this claim.

* In ''GameOfThrones'', Tyrion comments on Shae's accent, and she simply replies it's "foreign."

* ''TheWarriorsWay'': Yang's country of origin is never clear and seems to be a general mish-mash of Asian cultures.
* Radio 4 sitcom ''ClareInTheCommunity'' features vaguely Eastern European ''au pair'' Nali, who makes frequent reference to [[TheOldCountry "my village"]], and its customs and sayings.

They're likely to talk about TheOldCountry a lot without ever telling you what it is. The trope can overlap with AmbiguouslyBrown. Can be played for drama to hint at a character having a MysteriousPast, but more common as a way to create the ultimate FunnyForeigner - you can use all the best stereotypes without offending ''anyone''!

Their reticence to talk about where they come from may be [[{{Foreshadowing}} an early hint]] that they're a {{Fauxreigner}}. The real life version as applied to versatile actors is PlaysGreatEthnics.

Compare AmbiguouslyBrown. Contrast ButNotTooForeign. See also WhereTheHellIsSpringfield, for when it's the setting of the show that's ambiguously located.

It's possible that it's AllThereInTheManual, but you won't get any hints in the show itself. Their name doesn't give any hints, it just [[AsLongAsItSoundsForeign Sounds Foreign]], and their accent [[JustAStupidAccent doesn't sound like that of any real country]]. See also WhereTheHellIsSpringfield, for when it's the setting of the show that's ambiguously located.

Compare AmbiguouslyBrown. Contrast ButNotTooForeign.

* ''TheWarriorsWay'': Yang's country of origin is never clear and seems to be a general mish-mash of Asian cultures.

* Lampshaded with the Geico Gecko...apparently his accent is Cockney or something like that,but one ad centers on people asking where he's from, and it deliberately cuts off before he says where he's actually from.

* FamilyGuy made a CutawayGag about two guys who don't really have much of an accent, but speak in a way that you can tell that they're not from the US. They've become occasional {{Recurring Character}}s

* [[SplitPersonality Kaere/Kaede]] [[Tsundere Kimura]] from {{Sayonara Zetsubuou Sensei}} went on an exchange program overseas and then back to Japan. To which country is anyone's guess, at first it seemed it was to America, until she started talking about some... [[CultureClash unusual customs]] in whichever country it was.